Fun & Fancy Free + Melody Time = Wartime Double-Feature Fun

As we make it through the 100 years of Walt Disney Animation, I’d like to reflect on the journey a little bit as we move out of the Golden Era and into the era of War. There is a bonus list of all the wartime propaganda that was being made by our beloved studio, but I will not be watching them again. Once is plenty. Also, there is a movie on this list called Make Mine Music that I cannot seem to find anywhere. I watched it once and from what I recall it was a collection of musical shorts, but don’t quote me on that. If you happen to stumble upon it, let me know. Anyway, back to today’s double feature which is all about being Fun & Fancy Free as well as having a Melody Time. Even though both movies have an average run time of 1hr and 15 minutes a piece, I was feeling spicy today. I believe that both of these movies are the last collections of shorts and musical animations until we get to more modern times, but let’s find out together as we dive into the storybook world of Fun & Fancy Free.

Fun & Fancy Free

Talk about rooting you in the era of 1947. For wartime, they sure wanted you to forget your worries and enjoy a night at the theater. The use of rhyme keeps you grounded in the lightheartedness of the stories being told. And with war looming around the corner once again, this lighthearted song by Jimminy Cricket is just as poignant today as it was back then.

Everybody worries too much. Just check out the paper. Turn to any page. You’ll find the whole world worryin’ about some future age. But why get so excited? What’s gonna be is gonna be. The end of the world’s been comin’ since 1903. B.C. of course...

The fact that this statement hasn’t aged a day is both comforting and unsettling. Though timeless, humanity is still plagued by greed, war, and deceit. But I’m getting away from the movie at hand.

Bongo the Bear is a cute yet oddly disturbing story. It echoes the vibes of Dumbo and makes me question some deeper truths in a seemingly simple tale. It shows a mistreated circus bear escaping to become a wild outdoor bear. The whole story is narrated by a woman who sounds like Dorthey from The Wizard of Oz. It's overall a nice time. Made me want to go be lazy in the countryside, live in the woods, and find the love of my life. I wish this was the theme they originally chose for the log flume ride at Magic Kingdom instead of the one that was there before. The story would’ve done really well as a water ride.

I’m not a big fan of the real-life people that decided to drop in with puppetry, but it was enjoyable. They really remind me of the Jeff Dunham puppets with some animation thrown in and I found myself laughing out loud at a few of their jokes. It was an enjoyable time once the songs started going and everyone started singing about a happy day. The commentary was enjoyable and I couldn’t believe that lack of one harp could destroy an entire kingdom. Once Happy Valley. Now Gruesome Gulch. I finally found the movie where the gif of Mickey cutting see-through slices of bread comes from. Not gonna lie, I’d be just like Donald if someone was narrating my pitiful existence. Homeboy snapped so hard, he made a sandwich out of some plates and silverware and started chowing down. Life isn’t all fun and fancy free after all. In fact, Disney even manages to slip in a little wartime reminder with Dragonflies the size of bomber planes and Donald provoking them with an imitation of shooting with a reed. Even in a land in the clouds, there is no peace.

Overall, this is a cute movie to put on for a small child while they play on the floor with blocks or something. It reminded me of when I was in the first grade and the after schoolteachers would put on older movies to play in the background. This movie has a very classic feeling to it and even echoes some styles that I recognize from Cinderella, which will make its debut a few movies later.

Melody Time

Listening to 8 songs from 1948 in a row will force you to switch mental gears. It’s rare to hear such big band, Frank Sinatra Style music set to animation and the first short pieces of the movie reminded me of the opener of Monsters Inc. Another hint at the upcoming Cinderella echoed in the boy handing his girlfriend her ice skate. The use of color was used to tell the immediate tone of the scene and the music blended beautifully to express the story without any dialogue necessary. I’m mad they keep making the woman faint at stressful moments. I guess their tight corsets made them short of breath but still.

I was worried that I would find this movie boring but was pleasantly surprised. This movie is nothing but a tribute to music and animation just like Fantasia. Instead of there being a live narrator and orchestra between each segment, we get a slight setup through the narrator’s voice and moving animation. Each piece is unique to itself in length, musical style, and animated personality. Overall, a mature piece of art that can be enjoyed by an older audience and very young children. Anyone in the middle might lose interest quickly because of its lack of dialogue and snappy jokes. It takes a certain kind of mindset to sit through several pieces of art blended with music.

I also learned something about the youth of the 1940s and the difference between how boys and girls were treated. Boys were always scolded for asking questions and were often opposed to having women in the story. Meanwhile, girls were always asking questions, getting mad, and pictured as the daintiest of creatures. The men always must do everything, including save the damsel in distress after she’s fainted. There hasn’t been a single woman-empowering figure in these older Disney films (not that I was expecting any). I merely point it out as a reminder of what our grandparents and parents have had to grow up knowing as “the right way” so we can understand their world a little better, even if it is just through animated stories.

A Strong Personal Side Note: I will say that some of these shorts, like Johnny Appleseed and the boy raised by coyotes, are very Anglo-American. While there is nothing wrong with telling the tale of the pioneers, I can’t help but be reminded of the first Americans who lived on this land that these pioneers “found”, “claimed”, and “built America on” and the horrible journey that they were forced to take West. It bums me out that I can’t just watch old content because only a certain point of view was being told back then and it’s not the full story. I mean there was a whole part of the last song that was dedicated to shooting up painted Indians for fun. I don’t mean to have these thoughts and bring down the mood, these things are just more obvious the older I get. And it’s sad because this is supposed to be a lighthearted comedy.

Overall, these moves are just wholesome, Anglo-American culture that deserves to be preserved in its own right. Though they are coated in the unshakable truths of war, racism, and even sexism, we cannot deny our history. It may not be what we want to hear but it’s the truth. And the art is beautiful.

I look forward to seeing you in whatever form I appear. Until next time!

About the Author

Crystal Cabrae is a storyteller who specializes in writing dystopian, romantic, and adventurous worlds for animation and fantastical fiction. She is a proud graduate of Full Sail University, AMDA, and New World School of the Arts. Her six years of acting training in both New York and Miami gives her a unique perspective when approaching her characters. She has a passion for sharing how to create stories with the world and inspiring the storyteller that lives within all of us. Follow her on IG or Pinterest to know the latest.